Modern communication devices typically support several different modes of communication, including voice communication and text-based communication. When a voice call is initiated by an initiating user, a receiving user will receive the voice call, and both parties will communicate with one another using voice communications. Similarly, when a text-based communication (e.g. short message server (SMS) text messages, multimedia server (MMS) that include media content, etc.) is sent from the initiating user, the receiving user will receive a text-based message, and both parties can communicate in an ongoing text-based dialogue.
It may not be appropriate or desirable, however, to receive a voice call based on factors surrounding a user. For example, it may be late at night, a user may be in a business meeting, a user may be in a museum, etc. If the user were to receive a sudden ring for a voice call, for example when in a meeting, the call would be unwelcome. However, simply rejecting the call by the user is also not always the most desirable outcome from the user's perspective. Similarly, it may not be appropriate to read and respond to a text based messages. For example, a user may be driving, and regulations make it illegal to respond to the text message while driving. Simply ignoring the text based message until a later time may again not be the most desirable course of action for the user.